Electrical units which can communicate wirelessly can often be readily installed in circumstances where it is either inconvenient or undesirable to install a wired network. In other circumstances, it is useful and convenient to use both wired and wireless devices in the same system, depending on specific needs.
Wireless devices are found, for example, in the form of wireless hazardous condition detectors such as smoke detectors, fire detectors, flame detectors, thermal detectors, or gas detectors. Still other wireless units have been implemented in the form of condition detectors, such as position detectors, motion detectors, passive infrared detectors and the like. Other types of wireless electrical units implement a desired function, such as opening or closing doors, locking or unlocking doors, controlling motors, controlling relays, solenoids or the like, all without limitation.
One of the known problems associated with using wireless electrical units has been the power consumed during normal operation of the device. Where the wireless unit can be coupled to an exterior source of energy, such as utility supplied power, electrical energy requirements to operate the respective unit or units can be readily met. In other types of installations where the units must be battery powered, energy consumption can become a serious limitation.
One of the reasons that energy consumption in known units is problematic is that the wireless receiver in the respective device must be continuously “on”, and drawing electrical power so that incoming signals can be received and sensed at the unit.
Fire detectors that use RF communication methods have typically incorporated transmitters only due to the reduction of battery life that results when receivers are implemented in the detectors. The receivers are generally ON all the time because they are asynchronous to the other devices in the system.
There is a continuing, on-going need for wireless electrical units with reduced or minimal current requirements. Preferably, such units could be implemented to carry out the known types of functions associated with such units while at the same time, reducing unit energy requirements. Preferably, such units would be installable in both new and existing systems.